6-2-10

Tony had the day off as work told him he
had too much overtime. So of course we went
out for breakfast at tee-jays.
Then off to the junk yard. Stopped
in a market in Obetz and found me some
red, yellow and green bell pepper plants.
$2.00 for a 4 pack.
Went to a couple thrift stores to look for a
swimsuit for vacation. Got Jonathan
and myself one. I'm picky as I wanted
one that had a skirt around the waist
to cover up some belly flaws, lol.

Stopped by the library on the way home
to pick up some reserved books.
Got 3 recipe books for the bread machine.
Might browse those this evening if I
have some down time.
This evening will still be busy for us.
Run, run, run it seems today, ahhhh!
Tonight we pick up our Trans Am in
Reynoldsburg. There is supposed to be
thunderstorms rolling through the area
from 4 to 6PM, oh goodie, at the time
we are supposed to get the car.

I think by the time we get the car we will
have seen every side of Columbus today!


2:30PM

Tony went down to snake a drain at mom's.
I think I will head out to the garden
and get the 8 pepper plants planted
before the rain comes. Some plants
have baby peppers on them already!

Sometime I am hoping to find time
to make our meals for our upcoming trip.
I think I got as far as frying up some
sausage for breakfast burritos and
getting the chicken done. That's it.
Tomorrow I need to get the pork ribs
in the crock and start getting my butt in gear!

6:15PM

Just back from Reynoldsburg with the car.
Not in the greatest mood this evening.
Tony thinks the guy messed the car up when
working on the transmission. Now it doesn't
shift gears right. In other words it
won't shift into park all the way.
Won't shift into the other gears either.
IT WAS NOT LIKE THAT WHEN WE
DROPPED IT OFF!!!
It's a good thing Tony didn't tell me
that when hauling the car home or
I would have been more paranoid than normal!!
Tony looked up under the car and said
the shifter cable was disconnected
or loose.
We originally took the car to this
guy to have the
transmission leak repaired. Well let me
tell ya, if it was repaired then what the
hell is leaking all over the car trailer???
This car wasn't repaired at someone's
house, it was taken to a freakin' transmission shop
where this guy works! Scary thought about the
quality work done there for regular paying
customers!
And to top that, the guy
never paid him for the work he did at his
house and we've seen him twice in the last
week or so, once to drop off the car and
once to pick it up. And people wonder why
I have a hard time trusting people, even some
close friends. This guy has been a friend of
Tony's for years and years. You bust your ass
to do someone a favor and get screwed.
All it takes is one person to screw you
over to make you put your guard up with
even the most innocent people out there.
I am so tired of everyone's bullshit here
lately I could just puke.
Can't wait for vacation!

___________________________________________________

Saw this rainbow tonight. What I would like to know
is where is the pot of gold???

6-1-10

Sitting here waiting to see if Value
City will show up today to fix my
new sofa. They said they would call yesterday
to let me know when they were coming. Well
I received no phone call from them so just
sit, wait and wonder.

_____________________________________________________

MY RANT AND RAVE FOR TODAY

I can't stand yuppy people!!!

I would never want to have loads of money
if it means living and acting the lifestyle
they have! They shun the people that are
less fortunate than them and turn their noses
upwards. It's all about who has what.
It's all about the social life and who
has the most friends.

It's like a big game to them.
They land in your space and
send you back home while they keep getting
ahead collecting more money and items along
the way.

My saying has always been,
I am me, accept me for who I am and
not who you want me to be.

If I roll up in a rust bucket that smokes
and rattles I wouldn't want your friends
or yourself to look down upon me for
material things that I own that aren't
up to your expectations.

I don't carry a Gucci bag, clothes that
carry a designer label or have vehicles
that have less than 10,000 miles.
But you know I get by and have a roof over our heads,
clothes on our bodies, transportation
and food in our bellies. What more do you need?

I like to be comfortable in life. Don't worry
about having my lil pinky out when tipping
a tea cup in a fancy restaurant. If I want to
slurp my soup I will do so. If I want to wear
t-shirts and raggedy jeans I will do that also.
Don't like it, then move on to someone else
that gives a crap!

Females seem to have a certain role to portray
now a days. High heeled shoes, dresses,
parties, running kids to sporting events
in the new mini van bringing treats
from the fanciest bakery in town
to win the kids approval of being the best
mom.

Screw all that.
If I want to get dirt under
my nails, get grease on me
from being under a car, wear my hair in
a pony tail because I don't visit salons,
burp occasionally, play ball with my
kids in the backyard, and make things from scratch,
well be it. That's me!

Who the hell set these rules as to how
we should live? Probably some yuppy person!

You know who I am.

I am the person in that
car that goes just a little bit slower.
The one that has a Mercedes Benz riding my ass
because they think they are better and
can go faster in life.

I am the one in front of you at the checkout
with all my coupons holding up the line
while you to cast your up and down
glances at me with curled lips
while you have to wait.

Have you noticed above that even though
I have all these flaws that you look down
upon, I AM STILL AHEAD OF YOU!!!

_________________________________________________

Will start working on preparing meals
this week to take on our trip.
I will add my recipes here of what
I will be making.
This will be easier for me to refer
to all the recipes at once and not
loose them, lol.


Thrown Together Potato Salad
with whatever I have on hand

Serves 6


Ingredients
4-5 potatoes
5 hard boiled eggs, chopped
2 T. pickle juice
(leaving pickles out due to kids)
salt & pepper
garlic powder
1/2 cup mayo
2 tsp. honey mustard
chopped parsley


------------------------------------------------

Breakfast Tortillas
(About like a McSkillet Burrito from McDonalds)

Serves 10


Ingredients

* 10 (6-inch) fajita-size flour tortillas
* 1/2 (16-oz.) package ground pork sausage
( I have maple sausage)
* 6 large eggs
* Vegetable cooking spray
* 1/2 cup shredded colby-Jack cheese blend
* Salsa (optional)
* Sour cream (optional)
(I might also add some hash browns)

Preparation

1. Wrap tortillas loosely with aluminum foil, and place in a 250° oven for 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, cook sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring often, 8 minutes or until sausage crumbles and is no longer pink; drain, remove sausage from skillet, and pat dry with paper towels. Wipe skillet clean. Reduce heat to medium.

3. Whisk together eggs and 2 Tbsp. water. Coat same skillet with cooking spray; add egg mixture, and cook, without stirring, 2 to 3 minutes or until eggs begin to set on bottom. Gently draw cooked edges away from sides of pan to form large pieces. Cook, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes or until eggs are thickened but still moist. (Do not overstir.)

4. Spoon sausage and eggs evenly onto tortillas, and sprinkle with cheese; roll up tortillas. Serve with salsa and sour cream, if desired.

___________________________________________________

Shredded BBQ Pork on Rolls

Put boneless pork ribs in crock with
bottle of brown sugar bbq sauce on high
for about 6 hours.

In the meantime make large dinner rolls.

* 1-1/2 cups water
* 1/4 cup oil
* 2 tablespoons Honey or brown sugar
* 2 teaspoons salt
* 4 cups unbleached bread flour or whole wheat flour
* 2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Layer the ingredients into the bread machine pan in the order given. Set the bread machine onto the Dough Cycle. Press Start. When the dough is done mixing and rising, divide it into 16 equal pieces. Roll the pieces of dough into balls and place
in a greased cupcake pan. Let them rise for about 30 minutes, or until doubled in size. Bake at 400° for about 20 minutes. Serve hot, or allow to cool and use as buns cutting horizontally. I usually brush the tops of the buns with a little oil, to keep them soft.

--------------------------------------------------

Was thinking about chicken salad sandwich recipe
but found a stuffed shells with chicken salad
recipe I might make this instead because it is kept
chilled. Will use this a main meal.


Chicken Salad Shells Recipe

Serves 6

Ingredients

* 1-1/2 pounds prepared chicken salad
* 18 jumbo pasta shells, cooked, drained and cooled
* 2/3 cup ranch salad dressing

Directions

*Spoon about 2 tablespoons into each pasta shell. Refrigerate until serving. Drizzle with salad dressing. Yield: 6 servings.

Chicken Salad

I'll just throw together whatever I can find.
Chicken, mayo, dry ranch dressing, salt & pepper,
shredded cheese, cottage cheese, chopped celery
and maybe some black olives

-----------------------------------------------------

Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies

1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 egg
3 tablespoons Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1/3 cup seedless raspberry jam
1 cup white vanilla baking chips
Red or green sugar, if desired


1. Heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, stir cookie mix, butter, egg and flour until dough forms.
2. Roll dough into 3/4-inch balls; place 2-inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Using thumb or handle of wooden spoon, make indentation in center of each cookie. Spoon about 1/4 teaspoon jam into each indentation.
3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 5 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.
4. In small microwavable bowl, microwave baking chips on High 1 to 2 minutes or until chips are melted; stir until smooth. Spoon melted chips into small resealable plastic bag; cut small hole in corner of bag. Squeeze bag gently to drizzle melted chips over cookies. Sprinkle with colored sugar.

Sherry's note** Instead of vanilla chips you could use confectioner's
sugar mixed with a little milk. OR a melted square
of white chocolate bark.

____________________________________________________

10AM

Value City made it out. They still did not call first
to let me know when they were coming.
And they repaired the sofa like I thought they would.
They braced the cracked piece of wood
with another piece of wood on top.
Wonder how long that will last???

This is a pic of the couch on it's side
and the piece of wood that broke.

When we buy furniture usually we can't
see the guts inside to see what is
holding it together. Does anyone
see a problem with this picture???
They used particle board instead of solid
real wood to support this sofa!!!



__________________________________________________

12PM

Sitting here watching MTV's Sweet 16.
It's bad enough these 16 year olds are
spoiled rotten little brats that get everything.
What's even worse is the episode I am watching
now is in COLUMBUS OHIO!
See what kind of yuppy brats we have to put up with!!

The parents took this child out to look
for a car for her. They were in a Mercedes Benz
dealership and she picked out a vehicle
that was $52,700!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I cannot express the exclamation points
enough. What teenager deserves an almost
$53,000 car paid for by their parents!!!???
I could buy a house with that much!

____________________________________________________

APRIL 2010

This article pertains to what appears
to be a discarded pop bottle that has
been left in peoples yards. But once
someone tries to remove it, it will
explode. So be careful when removing
trash from your yard as who knows what it
may be.

BOTTLE BOMBS from snopes is TRUE.

5-31-10

For those of you who got to sleep in this
morning and missed the downpour I got
some videos for ya. We was up at 6:30AM
like a typical work day. Had to take Tony's
pager back to work this morning. He is
officially off call now for about another month, yeah!!

I didn't know it was supposed to rain this morning
and told the kids we'd take them to Hayden Falls.
Those plans didn't quite work out with all this
rain plus they are doing paving at the Falls
and won't be open til June 3rd.



I got my bird bath in the garden. Still awaiting to
get a satellite dish to put on top. For now I found
a smaller metal bird bath bowl to put on top.



More and more projects getting thought of every day.
I would love to do something with our kitchen cabinets.
While white is nice it constantly has to be cleaned
off. So maybe thinking of painting them or
I told Tony I even thought about doing them in
a wood looking contact paper.

Next Tony wants me to design a bird for the
hood of our blue Trans Am. I did one years
ago and it takes some time to paint all
the little details and make a stencil for it.
But I'm game if people have patience with me.
I had always thought it would be neat to get
some glow in the dark powder to mix in with the
paint. Wouldn't that be cool at night to
have a glowing bird on the hood of the car?
I like to be unique.
Was thinking maybe an aqua and a blue bird
on a dark blue car.



____________________________________________________

This afternoon after the rain cleared up
we went to Prairie Oaks Park. It was ok, doubt if we'd go back.
There was no playground, picnic tables
or shelter houses just trails and ponds.
















Christopher kept getting annoyed by bugs when
walking on the trail. I picked up a weed
and tickled his ear and leg to make him
think it was a bug, LOL!

5-30-10

With Summer vacation drawing near I am
trying to find recipes for the kids
to enjoy that will keep me from
having to run to the store or them wanting
to visit the nearest ice cream shop.
Plus I feel it's a learning experience for the
kids. To learn that every time you want
something you don't have to run to
the grocery store to pick up convenience
foods when it can be made at home for much
cheaper!
These ingredients are something we already have
at home in the pantry or fridge.


These are similar to making crepes.

Ice Cream Cones Recipe from Joy Of Cooking

2 large eggs

1/2 cup granulated white sugar

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

2 - 3 tablespoons milk

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/3 cup all purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

Vegetable oil and pastry brush

Ice Cream Cones: In a medium sized bowl whisk together (or use a hand mixer) the eggs and sugar until frothy. Whisk in the melted butter, milk and vanilla extract. Add the flour and salt and whisk until the batter is smooth. The batter should be quite thin (like a crepe batter) so add more milk if the consistency is too thick.

Heat a 8-9 inch saute pan over medium heat until it is hot. Reduce the heat to medium low and brush the pan lightly with vegetable oil. Pour or ladle about 3-4 tablespoons of batter into the pan and immediately tilt or rotate the pan so the batter forms a thin 5-6 inch circle. Place pan back on the heat and cook until the batter is set and you can see the underside is golden brown (3-4 minutes). Slip a metal spatula under the crepe and gently flip it over. Cook until golden brown. Remove the pan from the heat and slide the crepe from the pan onto your work surface. While the crepe is still hot, quickly start at one edge and roll the crepe into a cone shape. Squeeze the tip of the cone to seal it so the ice cream won't drip out. Place on a wire rack to cool completely.

Continue making the rest of the cones, lightly brushing the pan with vegetable oil each time. These cones are best if eaten the same day.

However, if you have leftovers store them in a covered container. To re-crisp the cones preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Working with one cone at a time, unroll the cone until it is a circle again, place on a baking sheet and bake for about 3-5 minutes or until the crepe is hot and soft. Remove from oven and place the hot crepe on your work surface. Quickly reroll into a cone shape, again squeezing the tip of the cone so the ice cream won't drip out. Place on a wire rack to cool. Continue with the rest of the cones.

Makes about 8 ice cream cones.

_________________________________________________



It's that time of year when the weather starts
warming up and the air conditioners start coming
on. We all need a little relief from the heat
and air conditioning can be expensive. To help
keep our costs down we try to keep the air
conditioner set around 75.
When it's 95 degrees out a 20 degree temperature
difference can make a big difference.
We try not to turn it on and off a lot unless
there will be a period of cooler weather.
It takes a lot of energy to cool off a hot
house than it does just to keep the ac running.

Close off vents to unused rooms and rooms like
the bathroom and basement.
Keep your blinds or drapes closed to keep
out any extra heat from the sun.

___________________________________________________

Sitting here checking out the leftovers in my fridge
deciding what to make with them.

I have:

1/2 can pineapple rings
2 oranges
large container of yogurt

Soooo, I'm thinking how about some
pineapple orange yogurt pops.

Found this recipe below and have added my tweaks to it.

Pineapple Orange Popsicles

* 8 oz. carton vanilla yogurt
* 8 oz. can crushed pineapple, undrained
(Will use the pineapple slices, they are drained.)
* 6 oz. can frozen pineapple orange juice concentrate, thawed
(Will juice the 2 oranges I have)
* 8 paper drink cups
* 8 wooden sticks
(If you don't have sticks I use plastic spoons)

Preparation:
In a blender container or food processor, combine yogurt, pineapple and juice concentrate and blend until smooth. Fill each drink cup with about 1/3 cup pineapple mixture and freeze until partially frozen, about 1 hour. Insert sticks and freeze until firm, 2 more hours. Peel off paper cups to serve. 8 pops.

--------------------------------------------------

And because I have a 16 ounce container of
yogurt and the recipe above only calls for 8 ounces
of yogurt I wanted to try another recipe
with low fat and sugar.

Ingredients

1 pkg sugar free jello (any flavor)
(I'll probably do strawberry)
1/4 cup non-fat vanilla yogurt
1 c. boiling water

Directions
Boil 1 cup of water and mix with your favorite flavor of sugar-free jello.

Refrigerate for 5 minutes.

Mix in 1/4 cup of non-fat vanilla yogurt and pour into popsicle maker or small paper cups (add a stick after it's partially set). Freeze.

Number of Servings: 4

___________________________________________________

Mom wants a few extra wooden chairs for her
dining room table. I have decided to give her
the ones from our old table. They have been sitting
outside under the carport. I washed them down
with some murphy's oil soap. And because some
of the finish wore off the chairs from being
outside I needed a polish for them. I don't have
any furniture polish so whipped up a batch of
homemade. I took canola oil and some lemon
juice and mixed the two together in a bowl.
I wiped each chair with this mixture
then took a dry towel and wiped it off.




___________________________________________________

I have one week before vacation time starts.
So starting today I will be getting out a notebook
and making lists of things we need to take. By doing
this early you're more than likely NOT to forget something.

I will also start planning a menu of foods to make
to take with us to keep from eating fast food
and spending more money.
Will have one cooler just for drinks
and another just for food.

We will be staying in the Baymont Hotel
and they have microwaves and fridges in each room
so that is good to know when planning my meal
list.

They have free continental breakfasts.
Would have to set the clock to get up for
that because I think last time we got up too
late to get any.

And they do offer smoking and non smoking rooms.

They have an indoor swimming pool and hot tub so that
would keep the kids and us entertained in the evenings
when we aren't out and about.

I've checked prices on Travelocity,
Priceline and so on and don't see
much savings if any. They all seem to
be around what the hotel normally is.

_____________________________________________________

Ok racking brain for a food list for trip.

MAIN

-Breakfast Tortilla Roll Ups

-make up a bunch of large dinner rolls
to use as mini buns.

-BBQ pulled pork in crockpot
(put boneless pork ribs in crock on high
with a bottle of brown sugar bbq sauce)

-Chicken salad sandwiches.
have a bunch of chicken breasts in crock now
with a little water and a packet of onion soup mix.

SIDES

-Macaroni & Cheese

-Potato salad

-Baked beans

-Corn on the cob


DRINKS

-Kool Aid & Country Time lemonade
made up in 2 liter pop bottles.

-12 packs of Big K canned pop

SNACKS

-Chips

-Cookies or Little Debbies




Been eating White Castles since last night.
I have figured out how to recycle the Crave Case
box. I'm going to use it to put all the
plastic ware, condiments, napkins and plates
in for vacation.

Save up all those condiment packages from
the fast food joints to use them on vacation,
lunch breaks or sporting events.
No need to let those go to waste so I'm taking
them along with us on vacation.

5:30PM

Got the chicken breast out of the crock.
Will use some of this to make chicken salad with.



7:30PM

Just got done making pineapple orange popsicles
and bread is rising in the bread machine
to make buns out of. The recipe says I
should get about 16 buns from this ball
of dough.




__________________________________________________

5-29-10

10:15 to 10:30AM cut my step dads hair.

left soon after to go on call with Tony.
Took the kids swimming for about 3-4 hours.
Then hung out another 3-4 hours because
the damn on call pager would not stop!!!


And that's how my day went. It's now 7:35PM
and I'm wore out from being at Tony's work
all day and the heat.
Might head out to the garden after bit
to give the plants a drink.

5-28-10

Went to a few yard sales today.
Bought:

2 extendable snow brushes/ice scrapers .75 cents each
goes for around $13 new

1 dryer lint brush .50 cents
goes for $9 to $10 new

3 women's tops .25 cents each

1 new in package bird suet .25 cents
Have the hanger but no food for it.

1 electric lap blanket $2.00
have 2 already and am trying to find one
more so each family member has one during
the Winter months. Total spent on 3 of
them so far has been $12.
They probably run about $25 to $40 each new.

Photo book called
Columbus The Discovery City
Original price was $40
I paid .25 cents!

Tresemme Smooth No Frizz Shine Spray .10 cents

Jason Aloe Vera Shampoo
reg $8 to $10
I paid .10 cents

Sunsilk Hydra TLC Creme .10 cents

Herbal Essence Citrus Lift Foaming Gel .10 cents

Wet N Wild clear nail color .10 cents

And lastly this metal thing that was once
probably part of a standing coat rack.
paid $1.00 for it.
I had a vision though.
I'm gonna have Tony find me a satellite dish
and I'm going to turn it into a bird bath.
I thought I could use this metal piece as
the base for the satellite dish to set on.
I want to sand a couple areas first and
then paint it all to match.
If I really wanted to get creative I could
find some old dishes and break them up
and make a mosaic with grout inside the
satellite dish. Still would cost ALOT cheaper
and look nicer than if I would have bought new!
A mosaic handcrafted bird bath is not cheap.
About $70 to $350 plus.



8PM

Found a leftover can of paint called
hammered metal. I used it to paint
the soon to be bottom of my bird bath.
I think it looks better than before :0)



I favor the metal stand upside down
but also had the idea of using it right
side up. I could find a bowling ball
to use as a weight to hold the bird bath
in place and paint it to look like a gazing ball.
I could put the bowling ball in
the round ring.



Now you will have to envision a dish
sitting on top.

I love finding creative ways to make
things out of junk that would have
probably been thrown away and giving
them a new purpose!



The car is ready to be picked up tonight.
So this evening we will truck back over
to Reynoldsburg to trailer it back home.
I'm going to try to get a small nap in
before kids get home from school and
Tony is getting off work early.

___________________________________________________

5:15PM

Car is still not ready. Guy drove it
and it still leaks. Won't be ready til
sometime next week. Oh goodie.

Tonight's supper

A little lasagna and chicken parmesean.

Dessert

I've decided to do a combination
of the grilled pineapple sundae
with a mexican type ice cream.

Tropical Fruity Sundae

I grilled the pineapple slices
in butter, splenda and nutmeg
on the george foreman.

Roll a small scoop of ice cream in
crushed up fruity pebble cereal.
Place on top of pineapple.

Squirt whipped cream around
sides and a little on top.

___________________________________________________

We had our side neighbor lady come over and
admire my garden. She saw everything I had done
and couldn't believe I had never had a garden before.

As we all got to talking she had made the comment
to Tony jokingly about him having loads of money!
I couldn't help but to laugh. Loads of money?
Where? I said I was probably one of the cheapest
and thriftiest persons on Earth. Then I took
her over to show my bird bath that I was making.
I said see I am so cheap that I make my own things.
That was the reason for the garden to save money
on vegetables since they are getting so expensive
in the stores. We showed her around the yard more.
I said all the Hostas and Lilies were free I just
had to dig them out of someone's yard that didn't
want them. She saw my baby trees and wanted to know
what they were, I said I think they were pear trees.
I got them from Lowes last year unmarked for $1.50 each.
You see how much I save by going to yard sales.
Why pay full price for something when you don't have to???

Sooooo....
You can live very cheaply and fit in like
the rest. No one knows any different if you
paid full price for something , got it cheap
or even free! And that's my story and I'm sticking to it!!

5-27-10

Still looking at Summer time recipes.
I think I've made this one before.

Heavenly Filled Strawberries

This would be good for a cookout or a party.
You could fill a ziploc baggie with cream
cheese mixture and snip the corner of the bottom
of the bag to pipe the cream cheese into the
strawberries.
You could also use vanilla in place of the
almond extract.
This recipe says it makes 36 servings
so you may want to half it for a small family.



Ingredients

* 1 pound fresh strawberries
* 2 packages (one 8 ounces, one 3 ounces) cream cheese, softened
* 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
* 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
* Grated chocolate

Directions

* Remove stems from strawberries; cut a deep "X" in the tip of each berry. Gently spread berries open.
* In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and extract until light and fluffy. Pipe or spoon about 2 teaspoons into each berry; sprinkle with chocolate. Chill until serving. Yield: about 3 dozen.


Nutrition Facts: 1 filled strawberry (calculated without chocolate) equals 41 calories, 3 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 10 mg cholesterol, 26 mg sodium, 3 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, 1 g protein. Diabetic Exchange: 1/2 fat.

___________________________________________________

Mom wanted to go thrift store shopping this morning
and I wanted to stop back in Kroger.
Why is it these stores have to be so cold
icicles could have hung from the ceiling.
I froze my butt off in Kroger and Goodwill!!!

At thrift store #1 I found the boys each
a pair of swim trunks and me some bras for
.99 cents each.
Then the second thrift store had a sale
if you bought 4 children's clothing
it was $1.99 for all 4 so I bought
the boys some more shorts.

I've been doing good with thrift stores,
yard sales and flea markets with only
buying things that we need. I have been
known to get carried away so have been
getting better.

Last stop was Kroger on Olentangy. I hadn't
been in there for awhile to see what kind
of mark downs they had. Plus I wanted
some strawberries and pineapple to make
my desserts.

I picked up more pepsi 2 liters while
I could get them for .38 cents a bottle.
While I haven't used coupons in awhile
(other than for pop) I still try to
find the best deals.
My mark down deals I found there...

8 pack Kroger Jumbo Biscuits
.50 cents each



Chunky Soup
Reg. $1.85
paid .89 cents
These will come in handy for a few of
Tony's lunches for work.



Canned pickled beats
Reg. .79 cents
paid .39 cents each
I use these to make pickled eggs.



Canned mushrooms
reg. .58 cents
paid .29 cents

Big K 2 liter Fruit Punch
Reg. .68 cents
paid .39 cents
Will use this to make more sorbet.

Van Kamp's Pork & Beans
reg. .75 cents
paid .39 cents
Christopher's favorite.



___________________________________________________

Tonight's supper

Meal
Tortilla Roll Ups
-cream cheese and dry ranch dressing,
ham slices, cheese slices and wheat tortillas.
-side of baked beans

Dessert
Grilled Pineapple Butterscotch Sundaes


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Tomorrow's Supper

Meal
Oven-Fried Picnic Chicken- from Betty Crocker
with a side of chicken pasta salad leftover
from Tuesday's supper.

Dessert
Strawberries stuffed with cream cheese filling.

And of course I have to tweak it to what I have on hand.
My tweaks will be noted, lol. I will need
to halve this recipe like the rest.
I have no need to make up 8 chicken breasts
for a family of 4!
No buttermilk?
Add vinegar or lemon juice
to milk.
No cornflakes?
You could use bread crumbs,
potato chips or dry mashed potato flakes.
Moister chicken?
Allow it to marinade overnight in
the buttermilk.
OR
marinade chicken in ranch or Italian dressing.





2/3 cup buttermilk
8 boneless skinless chicken breasts (2 1/2 lb)
1 cup Country® Corn Flakes cereal
1 cup Original Bisquick® mix or Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
2 packages (1 oz each) ranch dressing mix (dry)
Cooking spray

1.
Heat oven to 400ºF. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray.
2.
Pour buttermilk into shallow glass or plastic bowl. Add chicken; turn to coat. Let stand 5 minutes.
3.
Meanwhile, in 2-quart resealable food-storage plastic bag, crush cereal with rolling pin. Add Bisquick mix and dressing mix (dry) to cereal in bag. Remove chicken from buttermilk; discard buttermilk. Add chicken to cereal mixture. Seal bag; shake to coat.
4.
Place chicken on cookie sheet. Spray with cooking spray. Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until juice of chicken is clear when center of thickest part is cut (170°F).

Nutrition Information:
1 Serving: Calories 270 (Calories from Fat 70); Total Fat 7g (Saturated Fat 2g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 85mg; Sodium 860mg; Total Carbohydrate 17g (Dietary Fiber 0g, Sugars 4g); Protein 34g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 2%; Vitamin C 0%; Calcium 15%; Iron 15% Exchanges: 1/2 Starch; 1/2 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable; 4 1/2 Very Lean Meat; 1 Fat Carbohydrate Choices: 1

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I'm going to do something a little different this evening.
Growing up I have always had blonde hair but after
having Jonathan my hair turned a brownish color
and I've had to use hair coloring to keep my
blonde hair. My hair grows fast so it gets annoying
having to color constantly because of dark roots.
So tonight I bought a Golden Mahogany Brown.
(chocolate caramel)
It looks like a brown with slight reddish highlights.
I'm sure it will turn out lighter than what the front
of the box shows because my hair is a lighter blonde.

Here's a tip for ya, don't let hubby choose a hair
color for ya. Did this once and only once!
He chose a red. Not an ordinary red either.
The kids called it ROCK STAR RED!







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HOUSEHOLD TIPS

80 WAYS TO USE AVON'S SKIN SO SOFT BATH OIL

SKIN SO SOFT BATH OIL USES:

PERSONAL USES:
1. It's a bath oil and after shower moisturizer.
2. It can be used to remove makeup.
3. Great tanning oil (no sunscreen).
4. Hot oil treatment to soften cuticles.
5. Great massage oil for tired muscles.
6. Cleans off tape marks left from bandages on skin.
7. Cleans ink off the skin.
8. Insect repellent.
9. Helps relieve itching caused by dry skin.
10. Cleans oil and grease off of skin.
11. Painting something? Use Skin-So-Soft to remove paint from the hands. (Instead of turpentine).
12. It soothes light sunburn.
13. Rub hands with it before washing, it helps get them cleaner.
14. Rub on dry, cracked skin....helps heal skin in 2-3 days.
15. Put 1-2 caps full in liquid soap and use it for shaving legs and under arms. Helps razor glide and leaves skin feeling smooth.
16. Pour a little into your Foot Saver to help moisturize your feet while you relax them.
17. It removes chewing gum from hair, skin, and most non-pour us surfaces.
18. Cleans permanent ink off stamps.
19. SSS Original Bath Oil works GREAT on Head Lice!!!!! Saturate head and let it set for 15 minutes. Then rinse under an outdoor faucet, but the lice were gone!!!!!!! Of course shampoo hair a couple of times to get the oil out, but the lice were gone and stayed gone!
20. It kills ants instantly.
21. Spray on skin to relieve dry itching skin. Helps skin retain it's elasticity.
22. Wash hair with shampoo and conditioner like always and after it dries....Use about the size of a dime of SSS and rub it in your hair. It goes straight in and leaves hair as shiny as the ads on TV, not greasy at all, just soft and shiny.
23. Use bath oil towelettes -- cover window sill with towelettes to keep ants out.
24. (LICE) Sometimes, using a bath oil, like Avon's Skin So Soft, will work to loosen the glue which holds the nits to the hair. There is a product called Neon Nits, which when sprayed on the hair, will highlight the nits so you can see them to then snip them out with a small scissors.
25. This is to let you readers known about something that helped me for a mild case of psoriasis on my elbows. My internist recommended that I try Avon's Skin-So-Soft bath oil spray. I did and it eliminated the psoriasis on my elbows.
26. Bath use, fill bath with water and a little skin so soft, very relaxing and gets rid of dry skin.

HOUSEHOLD USES:
1. Sponge it around doors, windows, and on screens to keep crawling bugs out.
2. It's a good wood cleaner and conditioner for natural wood.
3. It removes glue and gum left from price tags and labels from glass, metals, and most plastics.
4. It removes soap scum from shower doors and curtains, and bathroom and kitchen figures.
5. It removes lime and hard water deposits from fixtures, tile, shower doors and windows.
6. It's an oil lubricant for fitting pipe joints that won't slip together.
7. It cleans ink off most vinyl and painted surfaces.
8. It cleans heavy oil and grease from non-porous surfaces.
9. It takes fur off of clothing.
10. Rub on brass ornaments or figurines to help keep them from turning dark.
11. Removes crayon from appliances and most painted surfaces.
12. Wash cupboards with it mixed in your cleaning water to keep ants off and out of the cupboards.
13. Use it to discourage hornets from building their nests. After using a hornet killing spray, remove the nest and keep the area sprayed with SSS. They will not rebuild there.
14. Use it to clean leather, it will also keep it soft and supple.
15. Use it on your air conditioning screen (filter)--your incoming air will smell fresher and the filter is easier to clean.
16. Rub all over window sills to keep ants out.
17. It cleans paint brushes easily and leaves them soft as new.
18. It removes gum from carpets.
19. It removes scuff marks from patent leather shoes.
20. Use it on running rails for sliding glass doors and windows.
21. It removes "ring around the collar".
22. It removes liquid nail (paneling glue).
23. Two glass bowls or glasses stuck together? Drizzle a little S.S.S down the sides and they'll come apart easily.
24. It removes candle wax from furniture, carpets and clothing.
25. Hummingbird Feeders: To deter bees try rubbing SSS on the feeder surface by the feeder ports.
26. Maggots too!! You squirted SSS in can and lid, then later flushed with soapy water, you shouldn't have any bugs in cans rest of summer!!!
27. It is a great furniture polish!
28. Ok, we have a new use for SSS bath oil. Put it in one of the bottle that you attach to your backyard hose and then spray down the back yard! Will cut down on ants, mosquitoes and other creepy crawlies.
29. People around the outskirts of Eureka and surrounding areas (and sometimes in town) spray it on their rose bushes to keep the deer from eating them, and at the cemeteries on the flowers they put out there for the same reason.
30. Kills spiders.
31. It cuts grease and cleans dirt from range hoods.
32. Add a capful to wash water of clothes...acts as a fabric softener and keeps the bugs off clothes.
33. Spray on orchids and other flowers for moisture and to keep bugs away.
34. Cleans baseball caps. Just spray on and rub with toothbrush.
35. SSS I used this recipe mix one part SSS and 2 parts water on my tomato plants and kept those ugly old tomato worms off. I think that adding the vinegar would be fine too and would be nice not to have to shake the spray bottle all the time. I sprayed my plants about every 2 or 3 days. Worked grand!! Too late for most this year, but file this for next.
36. SSS bath oil also does a great job cleaning cherry wood cabinets.
37. Put a little in your mopping water to help keep crawling bugs out. (Not too much or the floor gets slippery.)
38. Use to clean windows.
39. Removes crayon from most surfaces.
40. It's a great insect repellent (or you can use Bug Guard, the actual SSS repellent)
41. Screens can be lightly sprayed with Avon "Skin-So-Soft" to repel no-see-'ums and tiny gnats that otherwise might slip though the screens.
42. Another use for SSS is it will kill those pesky earwigs. Spray it on & they don't return to life.
43. Also if you ever make candles, use clear wax and melt put skin so soft in it and harden works great for out side in the summer.
44. As a deodorizer, spray into air and let settle, kills those nasty pet orders.
45. Kids rooms if a child wets the bed, spray the bedding and sheets before washing and will give it a fresh clean smell.
46. To keep bugs away from patio so got one of the liquid oil burners ( I got mine from the body shop in the mall but I think some of the Dollar Stores have them) and I poured about a cap full into the burner and stuck it outside. It worked sooooo well. I personally hate the smell of the regular bug candles, however, this made my whole back yard smell wonderful.

ANIMAL USES:
1. It's a great insect repellent for your pet. (as recommended in "Outdoor Life" and "Field and Stream")
2. Mix 5 parts water, 1 part SSS and mist on animals. Brushing it in makes their coats gleam and keeps insects off so the animals don't fidget in the show ring.
3. Mix in your pet's bath water. It takes the fleas off of them.....and in between spray them with the same mixture as in #2 to help keep them off.
4. Rub on your hands before and after working with your pets and farm animals. It will remove the strong smells.
5. Black Fly Spray For Dogs: Use as a spray or a dip. 1 cup SSS, 1/2 cup liquid detergent and 3 gallons of water.
6. For dog's dry skin mix 1 tablespoon of SSS per gallon of water and use as an after bath rinse. Or spritz your pet's coat once per week.
7. If your dog should get tar or asphalt on the pads of their feet rub on SSS and then wipe off.
8. Flea Bath: Use a flea and tick shampoo. Rinse, rinse, rinse so no soap residue is left. Follow with final rinse of 2 gallons of water mixed with flea dip and 1 capful of SSS. The SSS helps replace the oils lost in bathing and has the added benefit of repelling insects.
9. Flea Repellent: Avon's Skin So Soft Bath Oil. 1-1/2 ounces per gallon of water; used as a sponge-on dip (or as a spritz) has been tested and proven to have significant, but not complete, flea-repellent activity for a 6-day period. It should help those dry coats, too.
10. Does anyone use the Avon Skin So Soft bath oil on their chows? I have begun using it on Chancey and it has done wonders for her skin. Like, many chows, she has very dry and flaky skin, especially for being black. Since I started using that product, her dandruff and itchiness has improved tremendously and her hair has become shiny and smooth. It also serves as a great flea and tick protector. I use it about twice a month and I just spray it on her. I really like it.
11. I use the following on my horses and on my dogs when necessary.
1 cup Avon Skin So Soft bath oil 1 cup white vinegar 1 cup (or more) water 5 cc of essential oil of citronella (from the health food store NOT the type you burn to keep insects away that is available in a drug store) Mix in a spray bottle. Straight SSS works well for mosquitoes too but really makes your dog greasy.
12. (Barns) Use of an inexpensive fly control spray or a diluted mix of Avon Skin-So-Soft in water can be sprayed on barn walls and floor to discourage insects from hanging around or to eliminate them before putting in the new bedding. As time permits, and if you can keep your goats out of the barn for a few hours - let the barn stand and air out before re-filling with bedding.
13. Rub on your hands before and after working with pets and farm animals, takes away pet odor.
14. AVON'S SKIN-SO-SOFT bath oil massaged directly into the skin of your Rottweiler acts not only as a successful repellant and makes their dogs smell good but helps prevent drying and itchy skin.
15. A natural way to help cats with flea problems and flea allergies is to rub Skin So Soft into the skin. Once a bug, always a bug. Fleas don't like it either! Spread the word!
16. Cats: SSS IS SAFE FOR FUR LICKING -------The SSS plus is safe as long as it is the one without sunscreen.
17. Don't overuse the SSS. I just use the lotion, and rub it into the skin, not more than every few days. My cat's sensitive and we're being careful. Common sense is the rule. Sprinkling Yeast on the cat food helps, too. My cat's fur is medium-length; he's part Persian, and he's doing fine, no ill effects from the SSS. You can check with your vet to be sure if it's okay...
SKIN-SO-SOFT USES FOR HORSES
1. SSS can be used as a hoof polish. This will put a nice shine to the hoof without drying it. The farrier's wife will appreciate this one!
2. SSS can be used as a muzzle, eye, and ear enhancer. Generally we used baby oil but it was so messy. I tried SSS and it works great and still helps keep bugs away.

3. I have a show mare that has allergies and also gets dry skin very easily so I started giving her baths in SSS. What I do is bathe her like normal and then I put a capful of SSS in a 5 gallon bucket of warm water and sponge this all over her. Her hair coat dries silky soft and she quits itching. Works for her.
4. The bug guard towelletes we had last summer work great on the horse's ears and around their eyes.
5. When I have to band (braid) their manes I use the Techniques Oil Sheen. It seems to help hold the braids a lot better and they don't try to rub them out.
6. The dry end serum works great in their tails as a detangler. Everything I have mentioned here I use faithfully on our show horses. The products are a heck of a lot cheaper than actual horse products. People see me using these products at the horse shows and start inquiring about them. I usually let them take my bottles and try them on their horses at the show which usually ends up in a sale for me.

AUTOMOBILE USES:
1. It removes tar spots from the car without damage to the paint.
2. Use it to clean vinyl dashboards, seats, and tops. It not only cleans, but keeps it soft and helps to prevent any cracking.
3. After washing your car, use it as a tire dressing to keep them looking like new.
4. Put some on a small washcloth and leave in the car to help keep the air fresh and clean.
5. Wipe down vinyl surfaces inside your car. Cleans nicely and removes smoke odors left by cigarette smokers.
6. It gently cleans heavy grease and oil from skin and non-porous surfaces (great for Mechanic's Hands).
7. It removes tree sap.
8. Prior to traveling...rub SSS on headlights and grill. It makes insects and bugs easier to remove.
9. Shines vehicle tires
10. Open a towlette and use as an automotive air freshener.

*Skin-So-Soft bath oil is approved by the FDA/CDA only as a bath oil. This list of uses comes from customers. Avon makes no claims of these uses, nor have they.